Straight Line
by magicalandfullofhope
Summary: After Emma rescues Hook from New York, he can't seem to leave her alone and she can't seem to make him. Soon the town's big bads reveal that these two lost children might need each other more than they thought.
1. Introduction

**AN: **_Takes place after The Queen is Dead_

**Introduction**

A pained groan left his grimaced lips. Biting her bottom lip Emma hastened frantically to finish the knot restraining Captain Hook. She had minutes until Neal returned to the Jolly Roger with Gold and Henry.

She'd be lucky to get Hook out of here alive; especially once he knew who else they were carrying. He'd rather die than see his ship be an unwitting accessory in saving his greatest enemy.

She finished with the knot that bound his good hand over his head and sat up looking him over.

He wouldn't be comfortable draped awkwardly over the stiff bench like that, but they'd all be alive.

His eyes opened and blinked as they rolled into focus carefully examining the small room of his ship with annoyance. They met hers but made no sign of movement against her, only a soft annoyed flick of the eyebrow should any indication of his awareness.

"How's your head?" she questioned with a frigid air, trying to conceal the distress she felt and to distract him from his current situation.

"Did I kill him?" he hissed, gritting his teeth as he fixed a heated glare on the ceiling.

She pursed her lips. His desperation had always unnerved her. That spark.

She stood, feeling the hard metal hook tucked away safely in her coat pocket.

"Not yet," she sighed truthfully. The sound seemed to echo dully off the silent wooden walls of the ship.

His face contorted sharply into a sick snarl.

"And yet I see you've taken the liberty of commandeering my ship." He said in a restrained low voice.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he turned his hardened gaze to Emma. He was begging the question but his eyes said that he already knew.

Emma opened her mouth to respond, keen to steer the conversation away from any topic that might spur on his desperation.

The sound died her throat at the sight of his dark eyes. A twisted smile curling at his lips

"What are you hiding, love?"

Lifted her head to look down at him She set her jaw, plastering a thin self-satisfied grin to her lips.

"I guess asking would have been the polite thing" she deadpanned sardonically.

Hook's eyes lifted briefly to meet hers, matching her smirk.

"I did you a right favor back there," his nostrils flaring. His tone deadly.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow waiting for his explanation.

The sounds of a child's voice rang throughout the ship. The pair turned their heads to the wooden ceiling at the sound.

Just then, a distinctive metallic thumping sound as if from a cane pounded on the deck in a slow, uneven rhythm.

They had run out of time.

Emma turned her back to leave, her skin crawling. Stomach tied in knots.

"If Cora is in possession of the dagger, as I suspect she already is, that monster is more of a danger to you than ever." He called with a contrived smoothness.

Her brow furrowed as she considered this. If he had been able to guess at what she already knew then it was only a matter of time before Cora took control. There was no telling what she might do first with that kind of power in her grasp she thought to herself as she opened the door.

"You might have known—that would have been in the asking for my help"

Emma smirked pulling herself out into the corridor.

"I don't need it" She shot back hotly before slamming the door shut and disappearing into the depths of the ship.

* * *

The bright sun glaring down on her, Regina strutted out on the walk-way near the docks in high-heeled boots that clanked angrily against the pavement. She had been by the fields farmed by the dwarfs. The beans were growing fast as expected.

Flipped her dark hair out of her face she put a hand up masking her eyes from the sun as she looked out into the cold waters.

Suddenly, a ship appeared at the edge of the bay, wandering closer to the docks.

She scowled to herself. He would be there soon, and she knew that whatever action she and her mother decided on would have to be done quickly.

She turned on her heel pulling up the collar of her dark coat. A feeling of power crackled around her fingertips.

She would have it all.


	2. Chapter 1: Come on, Come on

Chapter One: Come on, Come on.

Emma bit her cheek trying to concentrate on the paperwork in front of her. Her tired eyes blurred out of focus as she read through David's hastily written reports in her absence. She didn't need to be there but appreciative of any reason to be out the house with all the commotion and drama confined only by the glass walls of the sheriff's office.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, struggling to relish the quiet of the town after lunch. She hadn't slept in days with the never ending family developments and the drama of babysitting crazy fairy tale characters. She desperately tried to focus on something that would take her mind off it. It took her several minutes to notice her fingers absentmindedly clutched around the cold metal of a hook. His hook, actually.

With a soft sigh she purposefully released it from her tight grasp and extended her hand brushing papers over the lost appendage. She still hadn't found a place for it and had taken to carrying it with her. She couldn't think of any place she could hide it where it wouldn't be immediately found by a certain stab-happy theatrical pirate.

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen him in a week. She stared out the window contemplatively as if she'd find him simply by looking. No, that was something she was certain had no productive or positive end and had firmly decided that she really didn't want to know.

"So, you are what passes for a man of the law" sounded a low, drawled voice from the open door.

Emma's head shot up in surprise. Her startled eyes fell on the drained form of Captain Hook under the fluorescent lights leaning casually against the door frame. Still displaying an oddly precise scruff over a rugged jaw but he seemed to be missing that wolfish grin and snarling eyes he had worn earlier. She looked him over once, not at all surprised by his presence but in the lack of his spiteful attitude. Chipper for a dead guy would make an excellent title for his biography.

"Person," Emma responded quietly.

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards at her reaction.

"Suddenly your draw to tying men down can be seen in a much more prolific light." His dull, weary eyes sparkled to life as he strutted in to the office with an aura of confidence that followed him wherever he went.

"I, of course, am not going anywhere" he said gamely with a subtle wink. Hook strolled around her desk to set his weight on the edge and faced her with a wide grin.

"What happened to being done with me?" she asked, unfazed, with a single, raised, wavering eyebrow. Hook wasn't the type of man who forgot easily but one who did know which way the wind blew.

He sighed, his face close to something like humility. "A hasty decision on my part. I'm learning not to bet against you, lass. Perhaps next time you might do me the honor of returning the favor."

He smiled widely at her, fluttering his baby blues in a way that had probably seen many better people than her drop at his feet.

She simply blinked before narrowing her eyes in response. This wasn't exactly the Hook she was familiar with, this was a man who wanted something.

"Cora's dead." She stated. Crossing her arms over her chest she gauged his reaction carefully. He wasn't the only one who could use shock value to their advantage.

He barely bat an eyelid.

"As I said, Swan," his voice steady. "It would be unwise to bet against you." His stare growing more admiring as sincerity crept onto his smile. His rapt attention seemed hungry with anticipation, like he couldn't wait to see what she'd do next.

They're eyes locked in a heated struggle filled with fascination while wordlessly daring the other. His dark mysterious eyes swept into her soul and replaced her reality. Insufferably attractive, he reminded her of a painting brought to life and then by his will, his own passion, destroyed.

With a repressed shiver she spared a side-long glance at him and at herself, dragging herself back to reality. Emma used the opportunity with his eyes fixed on hers to lean forward, hoping to cover the barest hint of his hook with her arms.

"I would think twice about your next move here, hook"

Unblinking, his face advanced towards hers, only too happy to raise the stakes in their staring contest. She could feel the heat of Hook's breath swirl around her face. "I plan on it, darling," he whispered giving her a roguish grin.

Her head tilted slightly to one side in interest. She narrowed her absorbed gaze on his as if trying to pluck the reason for his visit from the mask of assured confidence of his eyes. She wasn't used to holding someone's attention for so long.

"What do you want?" the words slipping out in a hushed voice.

"What were you doing with that monster, when you stole my ship?"

Emma had been expecting this. Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I owed him a favor and now it's done. We're finished."

Hook nodded understandingly though the muscles in his jaw visibly tightened.

"What. Do you want?" She repeated slowly. Eyebrows raised expectantly.

His smile faded slightly, curling sharply into a snarl. "You know what I want." Darkness passed over his face etched with the years of tireless planning.

They were so close she barely dared to breathe. Both sets of eyes studied the other, willing them to fold.

"You don't need me" she stated quietly, her mouth dry. She wasn't necessary in whatever he was planning that lurked behind his old eyes, and they both knew it.

For a brief moment realization passed over his face. As if he had just become aware of that fact. He exhaled, pulling away. "No, as it were. I merely need that." He leaned past her to reach for the only half-hidden hook. Fingers grazed her flesh causing the hair on her arm to stand on end. She inhaled till a loud click shattered into her reality as he snapped the hook back in to place.

"But I must admit, I am not particularly fond of your infuriating need to come between me and my vengeance."

Emma scoffed, arching an eyebrow sky-high. "Well, I'm not particularly fond of the way you like to make everything worse, buddy"

"In that case, I believe it may be prudent to come to a sort of agreement between our respective forces."

Her brow knotted in confusion. "Are you asking for a truce?" she frowned. Neither of their actions recently had merited the title of friend. He had to know by now that asking her for help was pointless.

He sighed exasperatedly. He obviously wasn't used to people not blindly following him. "I am asking that you merely keep an open mind as there may come a day when you need me"

Her hand reached up instinctively to her necklace only to find bare skin. She rubbed her collar bone, noticing how his eyes trailed the path made by her hands.

Emma grimaced. "And you'd rather be on the winning side."

His skimmed the length of her neck before returning to her eyes, meeting her gaze up through his thick lashes.

"Well, I'd rather it were you than the witch."

"And until then?" she asked.

"Until then, I suggest we go our separate ways." His eyes threatening, making it clear what his future intentions were.

"Do you really not see how this ends?" she pleaded. Surprised at her own desperation. Emma had no idea what she could possibly want from him now or in the future, but she didn't seem to want him dead. "You can't win, Hook, even if you succeed you'll never win"

He winced slightly. Stiffening at the sound of his own dirty name coming from her lips.

He turned his gaze downward. "Winning was never an option, love." He reached down to gently take her hand in his with a sad smile. "I've already lost." He finished quietly as he brushed his firm lips over her knuckles.

* * *

Regina knelt in the dirt. Digging her knees into the soft soil she reached carefully into her rose bushes. Her frantic hands shaking as they combed through harsh stems and thorns in a fruitless search that made her face hot with rage. Tears welled up in dark eyes that darted in a desperate search for a single perfect rose.

They were all wrong, the roses. The petals, the stems. Wrong. All pathetically imperfect. All undeservedly alive. Not nearly red enough and not nearly bright enough. And she just wanted one.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her task as her emotion swelled. She opened them to find the flowers blinking, smiling back at her.

With a frustrated shriek she the grabbed the roses before her, using all her strength to rip them from the bush. But there were still more.

She dove into the bush. Wild hands clasped at stems ripping out the flowers. She grasped desperately at petals until she had demolished every last one only leaving a small drop of blood that trickled down the length of her finger to show for it.

Her chest heaved and she looked on to see the fruits of her work to find nothing.

Someone cleared their throat behind her. "Might I be of any assistance?"

She froze at the sound of The Dark One's voice oozing over her. If he were any other man, he'd be dead. She wanted him to be dead. She straightened her back carefully, proudly, like a queen. Her nails cut into her hand as she spoke in a barely contained, biting voice. "Go to hell."

She could feel him slithering nearer, sensing his greedy hands always searching for a weakness.

"Yes, well I'm afraid we haven't time for that," said Gold absentmindedly. Impatiently. Her eyes burned. He would wait for her.

Her neck twisted sharply as she glared over her shoulder only to find a kind of sympathy forged onto his face that made her blood boil. She rose tersely not bothering to wipe the tears from her wet face. There would be no point.

"What do you want?" she spat.

"I have a proposition for you, dearie," he stated simply, leaning forward on his cane. "I'd like to help, if I may."

Her eyes narrowed. She stepped forward, glowering over him. "No" she snarled, throwing his sincerity back in his face. How dare he ask her that. How dare he come to her. She didn't care what he wanted, she didn't want him and she certainly didn't need him.

Regina brushed the dirt off her black dress and marched past him, not sparing him another glance. Her heels clicked angrily across the pavement as she made her way to her car.

Once inside, tears fell from her eyes again. She held her hands in front of her, channeling all her pain into one specific location.

In that instant, a single red rose blossomed before her. A single red rose more dazzling in vivacity than anything grown naturally. A single red rose as red as blood. A single red rose for her mother's coffin.

It was perfect.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading. As you probably noticed I am still looking for a beta if any of you are interested :)


	3. Chapter 2: Turn a Little Faster

**A/N: Sorry about the wait! I've been moving out of my apartment but twice as much as last time :)**

* * *

Chapter 2. Turn a Little Faster

Henry Mills thought a great deal. Of course, he had a great many more things to think about then an average child.

Henry had grown up without much of a family and suddenly he had family members crawling out of the woodwork, literally. Different figures of familial love that neither started nor ended with blood. It was difficult to wrap around. Spending time with Neal, his Father, a man who had been kept from him, gave him even more to consider.

His hands dug deep into his pockets as he paced along the beach, questions swirling around his head.

When you love someone, you want what's best for them. But how do you know what that is? How is that your choice to make? What reason could possibly justify his father abandoning his mother, abandoning him? How could Emma lie to him?

He had always thought of himself as a hope, as the one with faith and for some reason that wasn't enough anymore.

Henry looked up at the darkening skies as the sun set behind the trees. He exhaled. So much for doing anything about it. He definitely needed to be home by now.

He climbed up the wooden steps to the docks hoping to take a shortcut with thoughts continuing to confuse him. Focusing on his shoes he kicked a rock across the panels when his eyes wandered towards a large black leather boot.

His eyes trailed upwards to the tall dark man lurking beneath shadows. Captain Hook draped in leather leaned against the shed just outside the buzzing light with a cavalier arrogance one only receives when filing a hook used as an appendage. The boy inched forward curiously, trying to get a better look at the mysterious man with a hook.

"Shouldn't you be tucked away safe in your bed?" came a menacing voice from the shadows. The man raised his glinting hook to the light but didn't bother to look at him.

Henry raised himself to his full height, jutting out his chin.

"Shouldn't you?"

Hook raised an eyebrow and swept his eyes over the fierce stance of the determined young boy's familiar hazel eyes. An expression the captain knew all too well, like trying to compensate for something tragically lost.

"You're Emma's boy?" he asked, moving closer. "The one on my ship. I'm surprised she let you out at night, that woman, knowing her issues" his tone trying to appear casual.

Henry knit his brows together, thinking. When he and his family had boarded the Jolly Roger he wasn't allowed to look at Hook much less speak to him. He wasn't aware of anyone in his family having a close connection with him. When Neal had alluded to knowing the man before, his mother gave him a soul crushing glare effectively ceasing all conversations on the topic.

"You're Captain Hook…Do you know my mom? In your land?" he asked, curiosity sparking his interest. He couldn't remember a Captain Hook character from his book.

"Certainly, climbed a beanstalk her and me. And fought off a Giant"

He looked up at him skeptically. "My mom didn't tell me about that…She sort of left that part out." He glumly shrugged his shoulders as if the weight didn't affect him.

"Well, she probably wanted to save you from all the nightmares of her dealings with a dangerous villain" Hook reasoned, detecting the hint of disappointment from the child.

"You're not dangerous." Henry stated almost exasperatedly, as if he often had to counsel adults on their true natures. Turning, he dug his hands deeper into his pockets and began to trudge slowly down the pier, as if he expected the man to follow. He did.

"Aren't I?" he mused doubtingly, looking down at his hook as he trailed after the child.

Henry turned to look up at him and smiled. "Why else would you be walking me home?"

He beamed continuing to wander ahead as they left the docks. His honesty had an unnatural ability to touch Killian in strange ways rendering Captain Hook silent.

"You're a villain because you think that's what you're supposed to be. Lots of bad guys are bad just because they don't know that they're supposed to be good."

"Is that what I am then? A hero trapped in a villain's guise?" he asked, amused by the boy's candor.

"What do you think you are?"

"A pirate," he stated expressionlessly, his boots grinding against the dark pavement.

"See, a pirates not bad," the boy explained, trailing ahead of him. .

Hook raised a condescending brow, not believing it himself and hardly believing that even a child could be so naïve. It was a rare gift bestowed on few to render the deadly pirate silent.

"Oh?" prodding the boy further.

"Well, why did you decide to become a pirate?"

He shrugged. "Seemed better than becoming a blacksmith and I can keep young lads like you from danger"

The boy looked up curiously considering him. Hook wondered if the boy would have the same knack for reading him as his mother did.

"I don't need to be protected" he finally sighed.

"Ah, I see, there's more to this evening jaunt than recreation"

It was Henry's turn to be silent, looking at his feet.

"I suspect that your mother is not always forthcoming with you in her efforts to keep you safe" He guessed. He had lied to protect once, not that it had saved her.

"No one ever wants me to know, No one ever wants me to do anything."

He sighed. He hadn't given a child advice in a very long time. "Your mother is a very damaged woman, I suspect that her hesitation is an attempt to spare you from what was so dangerous to her."

The boy said nothing; a pregnant pause filled the space between them. He glared up at him questioningly, his piercing eyes digging for answers Killian couldn't know.

He gulped. He knew those eyes. "A person unwilling to fight for what they truly want is unworthy to have it." It was line he had used hundreds of times to prey on men weaker than himself and to justify his own blackened heart. Never had he used it to explain the goodness and strength of another.

"It's not his fault he didn't know" he cried defensively before turning away, his face hard and determined.

Killian raised an eyebrow. It seemed he had stumbled across something he wasn't exactly supposed to see but he wanted that boy to look at him again.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" Killian inquired with sarcastic disdain, trying a different approach.

Henry scoffed; it was a little late for that reaction.

"She tried," he responded unconcerned.

"Have you ever seen Star Wars?" he asked suddenly.

"Star…Wars…" Killian repeated, testing out the words on his tongue that didn't seem to fit quite right in his mouth.

"It's about a Jedi knight, and a princess, and there's a pirate too." He said excitedly, running ahead

Killian furrowed his brow not having the faintest idea of the meaning behind the boy's words. He simply knew that he'd follow that boy to the ends of the earth he had to.

* * *

For a brief moment Emma lay on the bed, completely relaxed. Her eyes gradually blinked open allowing waves of peace to flow leisurely through with her soft breaths.

_Henry. _ She sat up with a was supposed to pick him up after spending time with Neal but from the look of the already darkened skies she already was very late. With a desperate look she turned over to the clock only to find an unsympathetic 2:00 A.M. blink back at her.

Frantically, she reached for her boots. Dread clenching her stomach as she rammed her feet to into them. There was no telling what could have happened to her son by now. Mary Margaret and David had gone out for the night, and Regina hadn't been heard from.

She rushed down the narrow staircase and nearly tripped over her own feet . Her eyes rested on the sight of brown tousled haired boy chatting away happily in the living room. Henry sat with his back to her in the green armchair with _Return of The Jedi_ playing on the television.

On the opposite side sitting on the couch sat a certain, surprisingly clean pirate who stroked the stubble on his chin. His dark eyes studied the television screen curiously listening to her son's words intently.

She straightened, relief flowing through her. "Henry?" she choked questioningly. The scene before her registered in her mind and it still didn't make sense.

The boy turned with a wide grin. "Hey Mom, I was just showing Killian, Star Wars."

Emma blinked, bewildered. Not much about that sentence made sense and since when was he Killian? She ignored the way he seemed to have turned his attention to her pondering her just as deeply as he had the TV screen feeling his intent stare on her as she stepped gingerly into the kitchen.

Her eyes widened trying to make sense of the continuing horror made in the kitchen. It looked like California after an earthquake.

Jelly smeared all over the walls and counter. Jars of peanut butter and Jelly left opened and lopsided littered the countertops. Dozens of dirty knifes and plates strewn about the brightly light kitchen both and confused and shocked Emma's exhausted brain.

"What happened in here?" still feeling unrelenting gaze on her.

"Oh yeah, I was teaching Killian to make Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches," Henry called from the living room.

Less sense.

"Of course you were." She sighed, forming a tight-lipped smile as she moved to clean up. She tightened the lid on the peanut butter jar and looked back to where the two had both been absorbed in the TV screen. The captain's eyes still on her, gauging her every move.

Uneasiness crept into her as she watched them like thundering clouds before a storm. Hook was an unpredictable force unless tied down. A wild variable that took pleasure in throwing her off balance and a kindred spirit that was every bit as dangerous as her. Now it seemed that Henry had taken him under his wing and now the pirate knew where she lived.

She turned to the sink soaking a rag under warm water.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him stand and quietly make his way over to her. She shut off the water and dropped the rag in the sink, putting her hands on her hips.

She turned to glare at him. "What the hell are you doing here, with my son?" She whispered harshly once he was close enough.

His response remained a cool expression on a relaxed face. "Excuse me your highness, your young lad was walking through the dark and I simply thought he would be safer with me looking over his shoulder." His eyes surveyed the mess around them. "Isn't that what friends do?" he finished with practiced nonchalance.

Her mouth opened and redness tinged her checks. She managed to look humble at the thought of him doing her job for her. She cleared her throat. "Th-thank you"

Emma crinkled her forehead. "I never said we were friends," she stated. They had an agreed upon alliance…of sorts.

Killian inhaled carefully, looking at her through playfully narrowed slits. "Nor did you say we were enemies, darling"

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as if physically refocusing himself. He's eyes turned sympathetic as his brows raised.

"Not everyone is trying to take something from you, lass. We are on the same side"

"We are not." That had come out harsher than she had expected it to. She didn't want to alienate someone like him but she didn't want him on her home turf.

"Ooh and I suppose you fight for something much nobler? You don't think you could possibly be on the same level as a scoundrel like me. Tell me, what side does the righteous savior battle for?"

She narrowed her eyes fighting the urge to look away under the forceful gaze that had crushed many stronger than her. He was right. She wasn't better than him and she knew it

Silence seemed to fill the narrow physical space between them, tension widening the ever-increasing emotional gap between them.

Her jaw clenched shut "Don't call me that" she stated evenly, her voice low. She looked to Henry who had already drifted off to sleep, the TV blaring.

"I fight for him, I am on nobody's side and I don't care if that makes me a scoundrel." Unsure of who she was trying to convince.

His eyes softened and he took a step forward.

"You fight for love, even when you feel like it's already destroyed everything that you are" He smiled again. "Aren't we a pair?" he said playfully.

Emma let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in and peered up at him curiously through her eye lashes. He saw her for exactly what she was and he thought it was brilliant. She didn't know how she felt about that. She turned away to hide a soft smile curled at her lips.

She reached for the rag resting on the sink when she felt him move closer. His hot breath caressed her neck and sent shivers down her spine. Emma turned to face him and found a wide smile brightening his dark features. Her eyes flashed to his trying to gather the motivation to push him away but finding it rather non-existent.

"Was that a smile, love?" he asked teasingly, looking at her through beneath his thick lashes.

"What? No, stop that," she glared, frowning. Nothing good could come of him knowing that she smiled for him.

"Stop what?" he grinned, his eyes glittering playfully as he moved forward again. His face inches away from hers'.

"That," her voice strong but her resolve faltering. Her heart beat faster in her chest. Blood pounded in her ears. Every nerve stimulated to the air he created around her.

"You can hardly blame me for surrounding yourself with scoundrels." His tone faking amusement while his posture became daring.

"I-I do not." her voice fading and inexplicably out of breath. Her heart pounded loudly. She turned her eyes downward, determined not to look at him. She couldn't think of any action other than to contradict him directly.

With his hook gently resting on her waist he raised his hand, tenderly, effortlessly tilting her chin up to him.

"My dear Emma," he murmured, smiling warmly. His voice so low, it could have been a breath. "You can't get enough of us."

Emma drew an intake of breath and looked to his lips. The smell of rum and salt filled her nostrils. She fully expected him kiss her; to reach down and slide over her lips with his wet and willing mouth; for his hands to tangle themselves in her hair in a desperate attempt to possess her; to mark her good and true as his own right there in front of her son.

But she looked into his eyes—blue eyes filled with storms that were passionate and beautiful like the sea and just as deadly, eyes that held a great mystery and a great tragedy— And saw him. Not the mask, not Captain Hook. Killian. She saw how frightened they both were.

His wistful gaze hardened as realization and apprehension entered his eyes. The muscles in his face tightened and he dropped his hand to his side.

"We are eventually going to have to trust one another, lass" his voice low and restrained like hers.

_Things will go a lot smoother if you do_. His voice echoed in her head. She closed her eyes. He hadn't exactly been wrong. She had spent her whole life trusting men better than him, trusting in a world that had offered her nothing but cruelty. They both had and it had destroyed them.

Trusting him would be like trying to shove two broken things together to create something whole. It didn't work.

Taking a deep breath she crossed her arms over her chest.

As if he could sense her walls, he raised his own. His jaw clenched as a stiff sardonic smile painted his face, effectively hiding any emotion.

"Tell me, Swan what if it were you? Your son? What if he took that all away from you?"

_What would it take to have you help me?_ His eyes asked.

She glared up at him shooting daggers. There was that desperation that had been missing from his gentle face earlier. The desperation that lurked behind the thick layer of charm and reminded her that underneath the long lashes and blue eyes, he was still a pirate. How dare he ask her that. They both knew the answer. She had that same rage within her. She'd destroy everything.

His lips twisted to form a luck luster half-smile. Taking a step back he bowed deeply and turned on his heel with that same smirk as if he had figured out some terrible secret about her. Flipping his leather coat he left without a word.

Sympathy churned in her stomach. As if her soul and even her body knew that hating Killian Jones was as awful and as selfish as hating herself.

* * *

His boot collided with the road crushing the pebbles beneath his feet.

The cold air around him bit at his fingertips as he blew out hot air, seething at her. Mostly he felt livid at himself for continuing to follow her when like a siren, she only sought to drown him in her.

How dare she look at him and see him for anything other than a shriveled up excuse for a man. She could do anything she wanted to him and he'd still feel the sheer ecstasy of being broken by such a woman. She could rouse the full power of his mind and his body with the look of her eyes. She could move him till he trembled then never speak to him again and he'd still feel the thrill that shook his knees from her simple glance. She could squeeze him like a python till he burst from the rippling agony and he'd beg her to hurt him just a little bit more.

And she just wouldn't.

Suddenly a low ardent voice made its presence known.

"Captain," it rang. His jaw locked at the sound. He came to a halt at the sight of Regina stepping from the shadows

"ah, Majesty, I would offer my sincerest condolences at your mother's parting if they were…sincere."

She raised her eyebrows, not at all shocked by his hostility. She looked up at him smirking, her eyes making his skin crawl.

"I would simply like to offer you deal" she said innocently through a wide smile.

He raised a silent eyebrow. "Really? Well, forgive me but it would seem that our little arrangements tend to leave dissatisfied parties."

He treaded forward, baiting her to make her deal or get out.

"You might soon find yourself rather lonely here, Hook. I know how little you care for sides but you may want to consider what it's like to win for once."

She stepped closer to him looking him up and down with narrowed eyes that seemed to peer into his soul. Chills ran down his spine.

"But how do you look so well for your age?" she asked with a knowing smile.

* * *

**Thanks for reading guys. I'm still looking for a beta if anyone is interested. Review! :)**


	4. Chapter 3: The World Will Follow After

**AN: Sorry about the wait guys my muses had a tough time with this one**

Ch 3. The World Will Follow After

She really should have known better but Regina wasn't known for bridling her passions. It was on her way to town hall when she spotted the car parked outside The Rabbit Hole. She recognized it as one of the nicer cars in the town belonging to Mr. Gold. The bar wasn't open now which meant the old man had stumbled home, drunk.

A cruel smile curled sharply on her lips. She walked through the closed sign on the door to the shop. Gold grimaced from behind the counter at the sound of the bell, not bothering to remind her of the sign she had walk arrogantly through. He moved his head up slowly to look at her, clearly irritated.

A broad smile still plastered on her face, she moved close. She doubted that anything he had to say could possibly ruin the mood he put her in.

"Good morning, Gold, I trust you had a pleasant evening" she said, a bit too loudly.

He looked up at her through angry bloodshot eyes. "Can I help you Miss Mills? It is rather early..." he trailed off with a twinge of irritation that only made her gleeful. His head must've been pounding.

"I'm here to inquire after your girl. I see you two are getting along nicely." She said almost singing with a sweet, sly, sickness.

His mouth twitched into a snarl at the mention of Lacey and his back straightened. His eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

"I'm just glad to see you back to your old self." she said barely containing a laugh. "But I've come to ask you a question" she admitted more seriously.

His face softened into an smug smile. He had been expecting this. His eyes waited on hers impatiently. He looked unimpressed but they both knew he'd never pass up the chance for a deal.

Regina leaned forward across the counter. "What do you know about Neverland?" she asked in hushed tones. Her eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation.

He snorted in response. "And why would you want to know about that?"

"Because I believe it is a place that can get us what we both want." Her tone taking on a deadly serious edge. He raised an eyebrow skeptically.

She continued, "I've heard, that it is a place that deals with memories."

The Dark One tried to hide the shock on his face but it was apparent that he knew as little as she did. His eyes searched her's curiously willing the information out of her.

She sighed inwardly. It seemed that none of her usual resources would be getting her far this time. A sly smile masked her disappointment as she turned without another word leaving a stunned Rumplestiltskin in her wake.

The bell on the door sounded announcing her exit as Lacey slinked in holding out a bottle of whisky, her messy curls tied back in a loose bun.

"I've been thinking about our _little_ problem." she said with a coy smile handing Gold the bottle.

* * *

Despite being a residence of their royal highnesses, the King and Queen, Granny's Bed and Breakfast had been easier to infiltrate than he had expected. Killian had been more amused than surprised when he had simply walked in earlier this morning. The rooftops offered an easy view of the entire town and allowed him to avoid any...awkwardness.

He scoped out the barely waking town as the soft wind curled at his dark hair. Spyglass in hand, he trained his eye on the small dark form of Regina as she walked down the quiet streets of Storybrooke. She entered the residence of his enemy, confirming his suspicions of her vain attempts to recruit him.

he let an irritated eyebrow raise in annoyance. At the very least his efforts had proved she was not as truthful as she had seemed before but it seemed to raise more questions like, what the hell was she actually doing?

Watching her, his eyes were momentarily distracted by a flicker of light on the edge of his vision till they rested on Emma. Her light hair pulled back as she sparred with her father.

He chuckled to himself as he watched with a smile on his face as she swing wildly a weapon she didn't have much control over and her father presumably trying to not get himself killed. He could tell that the sword she wielded was much too long and light for her. Even from here he could see the bright ferocity from her eyes. The healthy flush of her cheeks that made his mouth dry. Her determination which could be doubted by no one sparked with an intensity left out for the entire world to see…well, perhaps he imagined it.

For the briefest of moments, all the weight he had forced upon himself over the centuries felt a little lighter. A feeling he had spent decades repressing. He shook it off, refocusing himself.

She was a means to an end. His end. An end he had begun to doubt but an end nonetheless. She could not be bought, she must be won. He would have to give her more than simply his needs to fight for.

He eyed Rumplestiltskin's shop carefully. He had his foot in the door, it was up to him to kick it open.

Emma pulled up her warm jeans which clung to her still wet skin after her shower. Her wrist still felt sore and throbbing from her sparring lesson with David earlier that day teaching her the finer points of sword play. She could tell that she wasn't very good yet despite David's praise.

After calling in some lunch from Granny's, Emma left the house in a hurry not bothering to lock the door behind her.

She buttoned up her coat as she stomped down the stairs for work, the coffee doing little to improve her mood. She gathered her curls out from underneath her jacket and began her walk to the station. Her legs worked quickly as she made her way across the street the sun shining directly above her. The quiet of the small town prickled the hairs on the back of her neck, as if she were being watched.

Just then a very sober Dr. Whale slammed into her from behind.

"Emma! Oh! So-So sorry…about that…" his voice distant as he continued walk as though in a dream past her. He had a slight smear of bright red lipstick on his face which wasn't an unusual occurrence.

"Dr. Whale?" she asked incredulously. But he had already dashed down the street, in the opposite direction of the hospital. Didn't he have some place he needed to be hung over at?

She rounded the corner only to find David heaving a clearly unconscious Hook over his shoulder.

"Oh, come on" she said out loud. It was a good thing she had ordered her lunch ahead of time.

The people of Storybrooke continued about their day as if nothing had happened as she struggled to push past them.

"David!" she called out rushing down the street. He turned slightly at the sound of her voice but continued towards the station.

"What the hell happened?" she shouted, nearly out of breath as she caught up to him.

"He passed out, I didn't touch him." he huffed opening the door for her noticing the wary look in her eye.

Now you choose to be a gentleman? She thought to herself. What was it with these fairy tale characters and their inappropriate timing "He just fell over?" She asked skeptically. It seemed like there was a lot missing from that story.

"He was snooping around Gold's shop. I wanted to get him before he caused any trouble."

Crime didn't sleep. And neither, it seemed, did fairy tale characters.

* * *

"Mary Margaret wants to cook dinner for you tonight"

"Yeah, Of course"

There were voices, distantly echoed yet very nearby buzzing around his head. His eyes fluttered open. Beams of light blinded him through the bars of a cell. His looked around annoyed not bothering to register the surprise he felt. He was trapped again in a stone and metal cage.

He looked down to find his hook missing. Centuries old rage seemed to curdle just beneath his skin. He didn't have time for this. He grit his teeth, ignoring the pangs in his stomach as he sat up. focusing on the figure sitting with her back to him.

Light reflected off a cascade of golden curls draped over Emma's hunched shoulders. That nameless, terrible beast inside him was filled with anger and hate, and even it knew that fight against the light was impossible. He could no longer pretend that she didn't see what was inside.

She was looking up at the Prince with awe and admiration, like a little girl might with her father. He wondered briefly what it might be like to be looked at like that.

Feeling less than comfortable about her attention being directed someplace other than him, he cleared his throat. He had information. Information that he was willing to share simply because she'd know what to do with it.

"This again, lass?" he called from his cell, gazing in Emma's direction.

The Prince put his hands on hips, immediately at attention standing a little straighter. But Hook waited as Emma's bored eyes slowly turned to catch his. He bared his teeth in a twisted half-smile.

"I choose to believe that you don't know what you'd do without me here." He continued cheekily. He winked, determined to bring some spark into that steely gaze of hers.

"Hey," yelled David, calling for his attention. His tall erect posture moved to stand in front of Emma's desk defensively.

The pirate merely rolled his disenchanted eyes over to the prince's withering gaze.

"Ah, yes your highness," he drawled. His mouth formed a tight-lipped sardonic smile. "I'm sorry to say that your face hasn't improved much from our last encounter." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the barest flick of an amused arch from her eyebrow.

"You're in there for assaulting an officer, public drunkenness and indecency," shouted the prince in a barely contained voice, jabbing an accusatory finger.

"Indecency? Yes, I can think of a whole list of qualities that might make me, _indecent" _he said in a low tight voice,deliberately emphasizing every innuendo he could from that statement. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip and turned his gaze back to Emma. She continued to watch him, unfazed but he could have sworn that a single corner of her generous mouth twitched slightly. The barest hint of a smirk was all the encouragement he needed.

Delighted to hear his majesty fuming, his fun was suddenly cut short as Emma raised a single hand and rested it lightly on David's arm. His entire figure relaxed at his daughter's touch as he turned to face what could have been the only person in the room to him.

How disgustingly touching.

"David, I think you promised Mary-Margaret you'd bring her lunch at school."

Killian grinned. Clever girl. He wondered if everyone in this town was as susceptible to such a blatant lie. For one so brilliant at detecting the falsehoods of others, she couldn't conceal one herself.

Charming's whole disposition changed, the man in the cell forgotten. "And you'll be there for dinner right? Seven?" he asked.

She smiled weakly. "I don't think I could miss it if I wanted to"

"Downside to being true love incarnate" he said quietly, leaning down and tenderly planting a light kiss in her hair.

She tried to mask it behind her slight smile but the world could see that her heart was bursting from chest. She hadn't reconciled herself yet to displays of affection from her parents but it made her feel like she was glowing. She inhaled and leveled a heated glare over to the man in the cell as her father left. She could feel the smirk off Killian's face at the words "true love incarnate." He'd smirk himself to death if she had any luck.

"You look like hell" she deadpanned, amused by the situation in front of her.

He stood slowly, a shameless smile growing on his face. "You are as ravishing as always, _princess_."

She scowled in response as she stood. He'd better hope that new nickname for her didn't stick or he'd be wearing that smirk permanently.

"I thought revenge was a full time job for you" she said begging the the question. She stood stepping in front of her desk.

"Don't worry love I can make time for those eyes" He placing his head between the bars of his cell his arms outstretched across the bars. He looked like the fact that he was caged like an animal was barely an inconvenience for him.

"Those eyes" narrowed in response as the thoughts whirled around her head. Waiting wasn't his style. Ostentatiously sneaky was more like it. She had seen him less than 6 hours ago but she knew that something hid behind those tired eyes. He wanted something. He always wanted something.

"So what were you doing" she said flatly. Resting her weight on her desk as she faced him

He let out a dramatic suffering sigh. Looking up at her expectantly through his lashes, he watched her like she was the only one the world. "I afraid the details would be a bit of a bore and besides you pick the company of a dangerous pirate, and you think you want to know?" His eyes glittering in a way that sent butterflies up her stomach.

She rolled her eyes to send those butterflies right back where they came from. "You fainted, a dangerous _fainting_ pirate" she said flatly a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I have been called worse names," he shrugged, putting his hand over his heart in mockingly you-wound-me-with-your-words way.

"Yeah, the pirate thing."

At that moment a large hollow growl emerged from the depths of the dangerous fainter's belly. With a soft sigh she let down her arms. That'll happen when your diet consist of rum and salted meats she thought to herself.

As if on cue, Ruby strutted into the office her long legs reaching down in high heeled boots that clicked across the tile.

"Hey, Emma" she beamed with a cheerful smile.

"Hey" Emma mumbled back quietly. Directing her attention to the leggy brunette, grateful for the reprieve.

Ruby leaned over in deep red leather pants matching her deep red lipstick to set a warm paper bag down on the desk.

"Thanks Ruby" she said with a small smile, pulling a few wads of cash from her pocket.

"Yes, _thank you_, Ruby" Killian purred from his cell.

Emma's eyes rolled skyward. She huffed as she slouched back in her chair. Give the guy an inch, he'd take a mile.

Ruby red lips parted in a good-natured grin. Her eyes looked him up and down chuckling with interest as she folded the bills into her pocket. "That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day." she winked with a smooth graceful disposition, looking from him to Emma again.

"I can only hope to be as optimistic, darling." He drawled, returning her lewd wink.

"Do you ever shut up?" Interjected Emma with a half-smile slightly impressed by his ability to turn anything into an innuendo with the turn of a boyish grin.

His eyes flickered back to hers in a gold-medal winning smolder, delighted by the attention. "Only if you promise to make me," he said his voice and dripping with suggestion.

She snorted exasperatedly. Her lips contorted in a sour tight-lipped smirk as she tried to hide the redness that flushed over her cheeks. His quips gave her a feeling of being on equal footing that was easier to understand than any of their inevitably deeper conversations.

"C'mon Emma, if he didn't flirt he might die, and then he wouldn't be much fun to look at and there would be no point in keeping him." piped Ruby as she turned to leave. Her dreamy smile a permanent fixture of goodwill.

Emma peeked into the bag the steam from warm pancakes and eggs from Granny's wafted over her face. Her insides twisted in anticipation.

She looked up to him watching him as he eyed Ruby go raising a single eyebrow as if his interest had only suddenly been peaked. She pursed her lips. She guessed that Hook had no idea about Ruby's tendency to turn into a man-eating wolf on occasion.

She reached in the bag pulling out the food, placing her lunch on a tray.

Stepping around her desk she set the tray on the floor just a few feet away from his cell. She glared at him pointedly before she nudged it with her foot watching it slide over into the small hole in his cell. His face remained expressionless but an odd emotion seemed to enter his eyes as he realized what she had done.

She sighed and turned back to rest in her chair. Hiding from him was like hiding from the sun.

He prodded the food curiously with his hand before taking single bite. He was ravenous but he chewed slowly, silently.

Emma rested her head in her palms and closed her eyes thankful for the brief moment of quiet for a moment where she didn't have to try to so hard to hide.

He knew she could feel him watching her again. He could see the conflict in her eyes. How terrified she was by his presence. He hadn't lied earlier, he wasn't going anywhere but she had no idea how to respond to that. Would it really be so hard for you to let me in? He thought to himself.

"I noticed you took the liberty of removing my attachment" he noted holding up his hook-less arm. He looked at her like a lost puppy as if she had actually removed his hand.

"Yeah well I figured if you're gonna be walking around with other people it's time you learned to work without it for a while." she instantly knew even before the words had finished dancing off her tongue, what pipe dream that would be. Not a single player on this chess board would play nice with the other kids.

"I'm not being held for any crime" he asked, almost offended.

"Besides being an incredible pain in my ass, no" she sighed giving him a pointed look. Truthfully, Emma hadn't figured out where her job as sheriff started and ended with this town. She couldn't just start charging people for crimes just because they were more obnoxious and less powerful than some people.

"Despite my clear acts of moral depravity?" he drawled. She rolled her head back to stretch, exposing the soft creamy skin along the curve of her neck. He tried to focus as the blood pounded in his ears

Emma inhaled carefully, knowing that he still meant to skin himself a crocodile. Knowing that he'd let nothing stand in his way.

"And my hook," he said impatiently. He needed to give her a reason to care about him and he'd never have one for her. She would stubbornly refuse to help him unless it helped her, much like him.

A soft smug smile played at her lips. "You think I'm just gonna let you have it?" She tilted her head forward so that she looked at him from beneath long, curled lashes.

His fingers curled around the bars tightly baring white knuckles leering at her. His lips twisted as if smiling to himself. "No, I think I might have to _persuade_ you, Miss Swan."

A shiver ran up her spine. His innocent smile not hiding the fierce eyes that met hers in a challenging gaze and reminded her that for him nothing was too far or too extreme. He was halfway across the room but the intensity of his stare burned with a fire that threatened to consume her.

"I don't strictly speaking need it for the time being. There are other ways I suppose" he sneered waving his hand dismissively. His lips formed a reluctant half-smile.

"Rumplestiltskin's dagger," she muttered. Her eyes narrowed. "You'd become him" she leveled.

His eyes blinked. "I already am." He snapped with a maddened snarl, refusing to meet her gaze. He wondered briefly how she had managed to undo him so quickly. His plans were unraveling before his eyes and he could only watch. He had no idea what it was about her that made him open like that. He only knew that she wasn't afraid of him even when he was.

"You're really so damaged?" she pressed hotly, folding her arms across her chest.

His arrogant eyebrow flicked upwards as if she should already know the answer to that question. He noticed how defensive she was. How such a question might have more secrets than it did answers.

"And just when I was going to ask you that very same question, I'm afraid it takes one to one, darling."

"You're just going to watch while he takes everything from you…again" she flared.

His eyes flashed to hers angrily. A lesser man would have had the sense to be terrified of the face he made and not able to see the intense fragility it showed. She had found a rather large chink in his armor and had pulled on it needlessly. He would not allow his guilt to be tool for anyone to manipulate against him.

She tore her eyes away, unable to face him. She had gone too far, again. She'd shown her hand in another attempt to distance herself from someone who had already seen too much. Somehow, they always ended up back here.

Emma looked down at her hands pressing her lips in a straight line just waiting for him to retaliate. There were worse things he could say about her. He'd probably guess at her mistakes just like she guessed at his with equal, poignant, accuracy. That she had fallen in love with a coward. That she herself was too afraid of love to fight for the way he had.

She was so angry at herself she had forgotten to check to make sure no one else was looking. She was ready to let information spill from her lips simply because he would believe her. Their world was going to hell and the only person she seemed to be able to talk to was the pirate causing half of the problems.

She could feel his steady eyes as they watched her like she was the only thing he had ever seen.

"Why, love, I didn't think you cared" Killian stated carefully, his soft voice filled the room effortlessly.

Her whole body seemed to loosen as the tension fled the room at the flick of his flippant eyebrow. She sighed reaching down into her drawer to pull out the prosthetic hand he had left behind. She held it out as if offering an olive branch. One that he was not yet willing to take.

"You may wish to prove that I am not such monster as him but do not mistake me love, it is means to an end that I will have." he said bitingly. His eyes searched hers warily.

She stood stiffly, pulling out the keys from her pocket. He continued to insist on proving himself to be like everyone else, and she couldn't bring herself to be surprised.

He let out a harsh whisper, "Emma." A curse to himself. His plan to engage her had the opposite effect. Her walls had snapped up even higher.

A terse smile pulled forcefully at her lips. "You're free to go" she gestured to the door and unlocked the cell door with a click.

His eyes met hers. "You don't trust me" he sounded like he was begging. Killian Jones had never begged before but his whole being now plead with her to stay.

"No, I don't" she stated truthfully, swinging the cell door open.

Henry was his last card but with that look on her face now he dare not play it. He ducked his head to look through his heavy lashes one last time, swinging his body to hers but kept a fair comfortable distance.

"Just out of curiosity love, is it mine?"

Her jaw clenched, hoping he hadn't noticed the weapons they had relieved from his ship

"Is what yours?" she asked innocently.

"That scarf you had so tenderly and thoughtfully wrapped around my hook." he said with an angelic grin that implied so much more with his glittering playful eyes.

Her eyes softened slightly. It wasn't a question because he knew. Of course he knew, he always knew.

Her shoulders lifted in a light shrug as she maintained straight expressionless face. "A pirate always keeps a souvenir of their conquests" she deadpanned.

There was the smile again. A smile that made a lonely desperate man look approachable and easy. That grin that made her stomach flip and sent her goose bumps up her arms all because the universe seemed a little brighter when Killian Jones was happy.

**_Next Time:_**

Killian impressed himself by making it three steps out the door before turning on his heel to face her. He wasn't running away this time. He was a coward when it came to her, but so was she.

**Tell me what you think! :) How's my Killian?**


	5. Chapter 4: Move a Little Closer

**Chapter 4: Move a Little Closer**

_~Earlier that Morning~_

It was just before lunch when Regina strutted through the open door to the sheriff's office. She tossed her long coat over the back of the chair before enthroning herself before her desk.

With a loud sigh Emma forced herself into a more attentive position. The words Madame Mayor died in her throat as she remembered that Regina wasn't exactly considered an elected official. Unless by elected official you mean one who elects one's self to rule over everyone else in brain haze.

"Can I help you?" asked Emma, resisting the urge to rub her head on the onset of a headache.

"I trust you've been made aware of presence of a certain one-handed pirate in town." she said stiffly, swinging one pant-suit-up leg over the other, looking around the office in slight disgust.

Emma groaned internally, not feeling particularly talkative. She looked to the clock, David should be there any minute. "It's under control," she responded pursing her lips.

"Well, I'd hate to things out of control." Regina added snidely, a fake smile contorted her features. "Sheriff, they will the rip this town apart to get to each other...luckily you took the dagger so no real damage can be done." she drawled as she lounged in the hardback chair.

Emma was silent. What did the dagger have anything to do with this? She hadn't felt it was necessary to take powerful piece of dark magic she couldn't control. Mary Margaret hadn't wanted anything to do with it.

Regina's eyes narrowed as she took notice of Emma's wrinkled brow.

"You let Rumplestiltskin keep his own dagger," she said in disbelief.

Emma lowered her hands that were wringing in frustration under Regina's accusatory glare. "Look, it's complicated we're—"

"Family?" she finished barely holding back a laugh. Her words cut with her icy cold glare. "And you think that makes a difference? Look at what he did to his own son, his wife. What they both did. They don't care who gets in the way."

A pause filled the air. Emma bit the inside of her cheek in distress unable to retaliate.

Regina leaned her uptight figure forward. Hostility cutting through the space between them.

"You are no different Miss Swan. And if you think I'm going to allow my son-"

"What Regina? You're going to take him?" Emma snapped knowing she'd crossed a line. She sat up in her chair. Her cold glare daring the other woman to make a move as she felt the heat flare beneath her cheeks. "You had him, you lied to him, you used him, and you do not get to do that again." she hissed,

If Regina was surprised by the outburst she remained impassively cool. "Like you're doing now," Regina said coolly. Her eyes widened then narrowed as she stood stiffly, removing her long coat from the chair.

"You are about find yourself in a place without many friends, Miss. Swan. I suggest you get some of your own if you want to keep him"

* * *

Killian impressed himself by making it three steps out the door before turning on his heel to face her.

He could be such a coward when it came to her, but so could she. Her motivations were selfish and so were his. She was right about him and she was a distraction, but perhaps one that could be used to his advantage.

He spun on his heel, walking back through the door. His presence filled the room soundlessly creating space between them.

"I can help" he seethed, though his eyes remained soft.

Emma nearly jumped, surprised by the soft lilt in his voice. Surprised that he had even come back at all. The fluorescent lights above him lined the shadows of his face highlighting the raw sincerity of his eyes. She'd nearly given in under the intensity. Her eyes darted under the pressure of his gaze, her lips trying to form words. A piece of her rejected the instinct to trust him so fiercely it corroded every outlet she had. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. If he talked, she'd listen, she'd believe, and he'd leave. Fear crept into her veins replacing the warmth his words provided.

"I can't" she breathed. An admission so quiet, she wasn't sure he heard her. A part of her hoped he didn't, she hadn't meant to sound so weak. She didn't know when she decided that trusting him was something she couldn't do but every fiber of her existence seemed to ignore that thought.

Killian blinked but stared after her calmly, ideas sparking all around him. After a moment he sighed and held out his hand. "In that case, give me my hook, I'll do it myself." he said shrugging off her rejection.

The tension fled her as quickly as it had come. She folded her arms across her chest, feeling more comfortable with a subject she could directly control.

"Not a chance, pal." she bristled.

He stepped forward mirroring her defensive stance. His eyes flashed to hers with an amused glint. "The asking was me being a gentleman," he said through a tight smile that didn't match his light tone.

A slight smirk played on her lips as she leaned forward, squinting playfully. "I thought you were always a gentleman."

His somber expression turned into a devastating grin as his deliberate leisurely stroll dared to invade her space. "I saw you today," he said, changing the subject again as if they had been casually conversing like this for hours. She raised an eyebrow. "Your skills with a sword leave much to be desired." he said, flashing her an ever permanent smirk.

Emma scoffed, her eyes rolling skyward. "Really? I remember one time when my sword fighting skills left you out cold." she reminded. The memory of his glazed eyes as he fell to the ground tugged at her lips.

A coy secretive smile fell unashamedly over his face, his eyes flickering to the side as if remembering a fond memory. Like being knocked out and left behind by her was a pleasant, charming experience worth reminiscing. "A stroke of luck, Darling." He said dismissively. "But you'll never learn like you need to from him. He cares too much."

Emma cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, that's not a problem for you." she said with mock seriousness.

He chuckled softly. "On the contrary, there is a shortage of brains with beauty in this world, but he teaches with the hope that he will always be there to defend you and you'll never have to lift a finger. I however know that reality can be much more deadly." his tone growing serious.

"So you are willing to offer your services because you're just nice like that?" she asked warily, eager to get to the point, the point being whatever it was he wanted.

His grin widened, tongue in cheek like this was a game they were both playing. "No, it's because you're a horrible swordsman, darling." he said, flatly. "Although on the topic of what I might be interested in I was of course thinking of my hook,"

There we go.

She tugged at her light blue button-down blouse "I don't think so." she said drolly. Eyes just barely resisting the urge to roll upward in disdain at how much he wanted his favorite toy.

Dipping his head he tried to catch her darting eyes with his. "I know how dearly you'd like me to be the villain, but I happen to be aware of such information that would prove otherwise."

Her lips pursed together and eyes flickered towards the ground. He wasn't lying but he made it difficult to tell sometimes. There was nowhere to hide under his intense gaze.

Emma held her arms held stiffly at her side and dared to look up. "Really?" she asked, unconvinced. Allowing her eyes to meet his. "About what exactly?"

His head cocked to the side with a smile. His eyes swept down the length of her body appreciatively with a lingering smile.

"Cut the crap, Hook, what do you want?" not taking her eyes off him. She couldn't help but think that he was more interested in the distraction, like he couldn't resist seeing what she'd do if he pushed. If he was there for anything than a game, he wasn't showing anything.

His grin turned devious as his gaze drifted back to hers. "ooh Princess, tell me do you practice that voice or is it a skill inherent with royalty?" he said dubiously, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Emma flustered and bit her lip, managing a disapproving glare in his direction. Telling him not to call her that was probably the most surefire way to make him continue. Whatever he was getting at, this would be on his terms. Her eyebrows knit together as she waited for him to make the next move in silence.

"Perhaps if you are so confident in your skills we could make our arrangement interesting." he said.

She crossed her arms across her chest, her mind buzzing with questions. "Go on," she deadpanned, trying not to let her impatience show.

"A duel, of sorts. You win, I tell you everything you want to know about _anything _you want to know" he said, the suggestion clear.

She peered at him through narrowed slights ignoring his suggestive brow. "And if you win?" The million dollar question.

"I win, I get my hook" he said dismissively.

Her lungs let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she took him, lips pressed in a thin line.

He was lying this time, and he knew she could tell. Whatever he wanted he didn't want her to know about it. He was using her for something and she'd have to play to find out how. He was distracting her with something inconsequential. He knew something, something big.

She set her jaw in determination. A tingling sensation ran down her arms. He was challenging her because he knew she couldn't say no, and he was right. Emma suddenly wanted nothing more than to bash in his skull with her own fist.

"You think you could go against me one handed?" she said unable to hide the excitement that crept into her voice, raising her eyebrows to set the challenge. The heat rose in her chest. She shouldn't have risen so easily to challenge, but if he fought her without his hook they'd probably be on pretty equal footing this time. Not to mention, Emma had already defeated a dragon.

He inclined his head to accept with a smile. _"I think_, I could have you without the use of either hands, sweetheart." he said, his breath hot licking at her face. He was in an excellent mood for someone who wanted to do something for another person.

She ran her tongue over lips with excitement thumping in her chest.

"Swords are in the closet." she said, pointing to the side with her head.

His grin widened, lighting up his eyes. Saying more than words ever could.

They made their way across the room into the adjacent corridor where Emma unlocked the door.

Inside, swords stacked on a table in what looked like a small armory with an assortment of different weapons. He reached in picking up one of the smaller blades with a slight curve and weighed it carefully in his hand.

He turned to find her handling her father's much larger broadsword. Her eyes caught him regarding her choice with a wry smile. Like he had already won. She narrowed her eyes, hoping to wipe the smirk off his face.

"I think mine's bigger" she said after a beat.

At her words his eyes lit up, highly amused. "Yes, but it actually has more to do with the talent of the bearer than the size of the instrument..." he trailed off, eyes gleaming. The intent behind his words inescapable.

She refused to look at him as she fought the muscles at the corners of her mouth twitching upwards. She had seen that coming from a mile away and she had walked straight into it.

"You needn't worry about the size, darling. I'm sure you won't find mine wanting" he added noticing her goofy grin. Making her smile was quickly becoming his favorite and most eclipsing of activities.

"Let's just do this," she said cutting off his fun.

"Shall we?" he said with a raised eyebrow, his sword lifted. His stance open, clearly waiting for her retaliation right there in the hallway.

Emma eyed the blade trained on her, it glinted back menacingly. "Shouldn't we go outside?" she asked hesitantly. Her eyes scanned the space between them nervously. The deserted hallway, though empty was no bigger than her apartment. Certainly much smaller than the wide open outdoors she was used to practicing.

"This'll do, lass" his eyes challenging as he shifted his weight. He extended the sword out he waited for her to make the first move.

With a resigned sigh she gripped her blade holding it out in front of her vertically, studying it. Remembering David's earlier lesson she tried to imagine it as a part of her arm.

"First lesson," came irritated growl from the other end of the hall. "Pointy end goes the other way."

She glared; with a deep breath she positioned the sword.

They circled each other, his icy blue eyes fixed on her unwaveringly as he studied her with a confident smirk.

She made the first move. Whipping out the blade to swing towards his shoulder.

He dodged it, lunging forward to block it, sword clanging loudly with hers, pushing her away from him

He slashed through the air, and she heard the sharpness of his steel.

"You'd never guess that this is only your fifth time touching one" he said casually.

His blade crashed into hers the vibrations running down the length of her arm as they pushed with equal force.

She shifted her weight, trying to gain the upper hand.

"Natural ability?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"I'd say," he agreed, parrying the sword away from his waist with lazy indifference. "Unfortunately, it's more of a learned talent." he leaped forward thrusting his sword at her chest.

She took a wide swing with a low grunt, cutting his blade down vertically. The muscles of both hands straining to hold it down under the upwards pressure of his single arm.

Hook rolled his eyes. "Now Emma, it is not simply a large knife." he said, simply moving his blade from beneath hers to slash at her neck. Quickly backing off, her blade rose to clash angrily with his.

"And in these close quarters it's more effective to-"

"Shut up" she huffed stepping forward to swing at his arm. Trying to concentrate on his every move.

A wild patronizing grin appeared out of nowhere. "You know you can't just _angry_ at me to death, though not for lack of trying" he called, tapping her outstretched sword lightly with his own as a gentle reminder. He put his hookless arm behind his back, taunting her as they continued to parry off each other's blows.

At every turn he more than met her halfway. His technique was totally different from before and unlike anything she'd ever seen. His lithe form effortlessly twisting in and out of danger. He danced fluidly in tight, short movements to draw her in while her moves were large and bold.

In a sharp turn, she sliced upwards nearly nicking his cheek. She smiled as his expression changed from cockiness to surprise. Emma knew had gotten closer than he anticipated.

"Don't treat this like a game, Emma, I could very well kill you now if I wished." he said with a scowl taking notice of her smirk.

With a glare he stared her down, pressing harder. His eyes fighting another battle that tightened with each blow. Her shoulders ached under the pressure as their swords rang out in a blur of steel.

She raised her arm, ready to use the same trick when he had commented her on her good form at the lake. But without his hook this time she could disarm him with ease.

He twisted. Her arm rose to deliver a finaling blow. He caught it, the base of his blade screeching its way down the length of hers. With a smirk he merely flicked his hand down and up. Twisting his blade tore hers out from her hand.

She reached out for it on instinct, only to find his arm curl around her waist as he slammed her against the wall.

His body pinned her to the wall. "The last time you performed that trick, I had you on her back" he growled. His angry breath hot on her cheek as he brought the sword up to her throat. "And I had run out of ways to not kill you." he said with a smirk.

His eyes fixated on hers, willing her to give in. His focus allowing her movement as her fist connected with jaw. A low grunt escaped his lips and his sword clattered to the ground as it left his hand.

Her hands clutched at his collar, her remaining strength forcing him down, throwing him to floor. His hand reached up encircling her thigh tugging her down with him. Both knocked to the ground as she fell in to him.

She let out a cry as her knee collided with the floor and a sharp pain ran up her leg. She stumbled from the momentum as he used it to roll, heaving his body over hers. His weight pressed down on her scrambled attempts to overcome him.

He pinned her down, his elbows digging into her arms.

"Emma" he barked, trying to clear both their heads. She cursed him under her breath. Struggling under his weight, she tried to roll him off her, bucking her hips. He set down on her hips straddling her with his powerful thighs.

"By all means love, keep wriggling." he rasped, trying to get her attention. His laugh bubbled over in hot breathy waves that rolled across her face.

She froze, halting her useless struggle her chest heaved as she conceded defeat. A huff of hot air filled the narrow space between them as she deflated dramatically, long blonde hair splayed out across the floor.

His eyes briefly trailing the flash of red creeping down the curve of her neck. He swallowed. "Now I don't think I need to remind you that the one on top is generally considered the winner." he said, physically unable to keep the jab to himself. His ever present grin taking its rightful place.

She glared, sending him a facetious smirk. "Thought this wasn't a game" she said, panting and unimpressed as ever.

"It's not, till you win." he quipped.

For a moment it was all he could not stare at the figure beneath him, enveloped by her light aroma. Her heavy breaths warm on his skin reminding him that he was already inches from her face.

Rolling off her, Killian offered his hand down to her. She ignored the gesture, scrambling to her feet and not sparing him a second glance.

"I'll get your hook" she said catching her breath. The embarrassment over her defeat clear on her face as she stumbled back into the office.

"No." rang out his voice from behind her.

"What?" she snapped, registering his blank expression. The keys fumbled in her hand. "Look, I agreed, okay? I'll just get it and—"

"New deal, love, I bested you, you owe me five minutes." he interjected, looking at her intently.

"Of what?" she asked defensively, tucking a soft curl behind her ear.

"Time," he replied sarcastically as he nursed his bruised shoulder.

She rolled her eyes, finding her hands on her hips.

"Five minutes to make you see my side," he elaborated, seeing the warning in her eyes.

"What about your hook?"

He shrugged. "Some advantages are worth more than others." he said simply, looking at her like those five minutes were the most important of his life. It made her stop and think. How did a man who made a living out of lying and cheating look so sincere?

She nodded, pursing her lips.

Stepping closer, Killian wiped the corner of his mouth with an appreciative grin. "Still have a hell of a right hook, lass" he muttered, gingerly testing his jaw.

"Clocks ticking" she reminded him.

With a loud sigh he moved to rest his weight on the desk to face her. His eyes were unfocused, like he was already wary of her reaction. She narrowed hers, mentally bracing herself for whatever curveball he launched at her.

"Your son is the crocodile's grandson?" he asked quietly through clenched teeth,

"What? The Hell?" she spat, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. Of all the twisted things his mind could come up with she hadn't expected that. Horror clouded her visions as her heart leapt to her throat. She couldn't see his angle. How could he possibly know that?

"Baelfire," he breathed, almost desperately. His arm tentatively reached over to hover over her arm. "Your boy is his" his eyes searching hers for the truth. Her eyes burned back with intensity that meant to burn.

She felt the heat rise in her chest. "He's mine." Emma said in a small voice. Her strength radiated throughout her body she was surprised the ground beneath her didn't shake. She searched his eyes but found no judgment there, simply wonder.

Perhaps it was simply another attempt to shake her. Why bait her now?

"Oh course," he whispered. He looked down not wishing for her to elaborate any further. He looked ashamed despite himself and moved his arm away, the absence of his presence creating an ever widening void between them.

"I don't think you can read me as well as you think" she whispered harshly. Her face an impassive mask to the storm raging within her.

"Is that a challenge?" he pressed.

"What do you know?" she hissed. That kind of information didn't come for free and she had more than paid its price.

"It may interest you to know that Rumplestiltskin and Regina may have allied themselves and whatever schemes they devise, involve your son."

Her heart leapt in her throat. He wasn't lying she didn't want to believe him. She wanted to ask how he could possibly know something like that, but she didn't.

"That's pretty vague information for a guy who just wants to help." she deadpanned, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

He shrugged, his eyes still wandering aimlessly. "I apologize for the deception; I merely wished to gain your trust."

Her forehead crinkled, her breathing ragged. "By lying" she trailed heatedly, glaring up at him. She wanted to hate him. He was the only one who was always there when she was alone. He kept coming back. Why was he always there when she was alone?

His turned sharply to hers. "Have I told you a lie?" he asked hotly. His loud voice demanded to be heard. The piercing blue of his sought hers once again seeking, begging to have the sincerity of his actions understood by an equal partner.

"Love, I've learned it is best to get you _physically_ worked up on occasion to listen." he drawled, even now his voice sounded like a silken bass dipped in the smooth rushing waters of a river. She faltered at his words. His expression open. Taking responsibility for his actions and her complexities he chose to understand her, even if she didn't

Emma allowed a small grateful smile to form at the genuine warmth from his voice. Though she could still feel her heart attempting to leap from her chest, the dull lingering silence no longer forced them apart. She did not seek to be distracted by anything other than his presence.

Face flushed with humility and residual anger she backed down. "Anything else you'd like to share?" she asked resignedly.

He looked down. "We can't talk here"

"Why?"

Just then her phone beeped signaling a text message. It was from Neal. He wanted to meet.

"Damn," she muttered under breath.

"What is it?" he asked, peering curiously at the device in her hands.

"I gotta go." she said snatching her coat from the chair. She did not want Neal to know Hook was here, whatever their past. Whatever interesting confrontation they needed could wait.

"Since you know where I live, stopping by shouldn't be too hard." she added curtly, flipping her curls out from under jacket.

"I would of course be willing to offer my ship" he said with a pointed stare, stepping in front of her. Either he had no idea that personal space was a thing or he knew exactly what it was and how to use it.

Her chin jutted out defiantly, decidedly unfazed by the newfound scent of leather and rum in her nostrils. "Nice try, my apartment."

"With half the town running through it as much as they please? Not bloody likely. No, my ship will take us to a more neutral location, where we won't be disturbed."

Emma pursed her lips. He had a point, but it was his ship, his home where he'd have the advantage. But this way she'd still be able to bring David and Mary Margaret along anyway, whether he liked it or not.

"Fine, I'll be there. One hour." she said finishing the buttons on her coat just as he turned a heavy lidded gaze on her.

A breathe caught in her throat as she turned to leave. Emma gulped, turning back to fix her eyes on the desk before her. Reaching down into the already open drawer she pulled out the shining metal hook he had sought after.

Something odd passed over her face and she set the bright hook on the desk between them. She didn't look at him, not wanting to know what his reaction would be.

"I trust you," she said simply, not meeting his eyes. She almost shrugged at how light the admission felt. Not a harrowing hint of a haunted past. Simply the truth one might tell to a friend. If they were friends that is.

She exited quickly as he stood frozen in place, looking at her transfixed with awe and confusion. She thought she imagined the image of his chest swelling. She stepped out and briefly remembered how the Grinch's heart grew three sizes feeling his eyes burn a hole in her.

* * *

Smoothing her dark dress overcoat, Regina approached the two figures sitting on the bench.

"Mom?" asked Henry, his eyes filled with surprise

She gave a weak smile in response.

The tired man sitting next to him stood abruptly, surprised by the unnoticed presence beside him.

"You must be Henry's Mom, I'm the birth father, I guess" he said with a sheepish grin, holding out his hand to her.

She pursed her lips as she tried to contort a smile out of her annoyed features ignoring the gestured hand placed before her. "Neal, is it? I was wondering if I might have a moment with my son" she suggested.

Neal scratched the back of his nervously. "Yeah...I don't know if that's—" he was cut off from a look from Regina that heavily implied the other things she was capable of cutting off if he wasn't careful.

Without as much as a sigh he looked back to Henry. "You gonna be alright getting yourself home kid?" he said with a smile.

"Sure" said Henry, sending him a reassuring smile. Their goodbyes a haze as the he left Regina to beam at her son.

"Soo, what's up?" his voice empty. He looked around awkwardly as if searching for someone, anyone but her.

His resistance pulled at her heart. She gulped fighting to keep the smile from falling pathetically from her face. "I was wondering if I might borrow your book of fairytales," she said earnestly.

his eyes snapped back to hers, his interest suddenly caught. "You mean the stories from the enchanted forest? Why?" His voice a mixture of excitement and suspicion.

She took a deep breath and leaning closer to her son trying not to grit her teeth as she lied. Her gloved hands carefully smoothed down his hair. "I was thinking that if I could understand the story of...your grandparents, we might find ways to get along better." she with a smile. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes. His admiring gaze making her wish that he'd always be there to look at her like that.

"So we could all be together," she finished softly, resting her hand on his cheek. For a moment she tried to imagine that nothing had changed. That he had never known anything than what she had made for him. A time when he'd be hers forever and she'd be his.

He handed her his precious book eagerly.

"Here, take all the time you need."

Regina barely had time to look down before her son skipped off down the street excitedly.

As soon as he was out of sight her hands flipped through the book eagerly. As she suspected he'd kept the pages about Emma from the back. No matter, there was something else she needed to see.

Not seeing the pictures she had hoped to find. She read slowly, hands smoothing every page her eyes skimming the words. No mention anywhere of a Peter Pan or a Captain Hook or even a Neverland.

She slammed the book shut.

Looking up angrily only to find her eyes caught with the woman across the road. Mary Margaret gasped from across the street, clutching at her books with pathetic innocence.

Regina glared back, insulted and disgusted that the other woman would have the audacity to even look at her after all she had done.

She saw the fear the shame pass over Snow's eyes right before they gently slipped to the ground and she quickened her pace.

An odd feeling overcame her. a satisfied smirk came into place as she held her a head a little higher. Snow White was terrified and Regina hadn't even lifted a finger.

**A/N: Thanks for reading you guys! Next time we'll find out more about what Killian knows and how he found out :)**


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